Here's more wrestling news for August 30th 2021
And your headlines for Afternoon include
CM Punk Reveals Video Of 3-Hour Tattoo Coverup Process For Heels!
Samoa Joe Reveals ‘Unspoken Gentleman’s Agreement’ He Shared With Brock Lesnar!
Gable Steveson Declares Himself A ‘Modern Day Kurt Angle’!
Details on Edge wanting to push boundaries for the 'Broodbath' on Seth Rollins!
Current WWE Wrestler Shows Interest In Pursuing Acting Career!
The Rock ‘A Virtual Lock’ For WWE WrestleMania Role!
Keith Lee Reportedly Being Considered For ‘ Monster Heel’ Role!
Paige Is Not Finished In The Ring!
Stephen Amell Could See Himself Wrestling Britt Baker! And More!
We’re kicking off today with CM Punk, and if the huge reception to his AEW debut has proven anything, it’s that Punk remains one of
wrestling’s most recognisable stars, even seven years after leaving WWE. Punk’s body is adorned in various tattoos,
but that ink isn’t shared by his Heels character Ricky Rabies, which led to the former WWE Champion spending a lot of time in the make-up chair.
On Instagram, Punk shared a sped-up video of the three-hour process he has to go through to cover up all his tattoos, and called the make-up
team of Jorie and Dwayne the real MVPs. When the video is finished, Punk is as ink-free as the day he was born, and whilst AEW
won’t cover the Best in the World’s ink, his time as Ricky Rabies has led to a lot of time in the make-up chair for Heels.
Over to WWE now, as Samoa Joe is the first- ever three-time NXT Champion, but he’s yet to hold the Universal title.
That’s not for lack of trying, as in 2017, Joe feuded with then Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, in a hard-hitting feud to say the least.
Meeting at the questionably titled ‘Great Balls of Fire’ event, their match was a little over six-minutes long, but Joe has fond memories,
despite losing the encounter. Speaking to Matty Paddock of the Daily Star, Joe discussed the match, and the unspoken
Gentlemen’s agreement he had with the Beast. He said: “When Brock shows up for fight night,
he wants to be in a scrap. He wants to go out there and he wants someone who is going to smash someone in the face, and he wants to
smash somebody back! Brock knew he had that with me – he understood, and I understood I had to have that with Brock.”
Lesnar came to Great Balls of Fire for a physical match, and Joe was more than happy to give him one, and perhaps their paths will cross
again now that both men are back in WWE
At the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games this year, Gable Steveson won gold in the freestyle wrestling, which impressed a lot of people
in WWE. Even before his big win, Steveson was on WWE’s radar, and his appearance at
Summerslam has only added weight to the reports that Vince McMahon is actively wanting to sign him
Now, Steveson has teased that he’s signed a deal with WWE, as he tweeted a photo of himself in wrestling singlet, calling himself the
modern day Kurt Angle.” Angle is, of course, the most successful Olympian to transfer into pro-wrestling,
having won gold in Atlanta in ’96, as well as several World titles in WWE and Impact.
The fact that Gable is so openly comparing himself to the WWE Hall of Famer is a strong sign of where he wants to go, especially
as UFC’s Dana White hasn’t been nearly as active in trying to sign him as WWE. Ultimately, Steveson’s future is his decision,
but with this comparison, his appearance at Summerslam, and the fact that he’s already met McMahon, all signs point to WWE.
Over to SmackDown next, as on the go-home show before Summerslam, Seth Rollins was the victim of a ‘Broodbath, curtosy of Edge.
We already know that this segment, and Edge’s Brood themed entrance at Summerslam caused AEW to nix plans for Gangrel,
but Tony Khan insisted on paying the wrestling vampire, despite not being used on Dynamite
During his Fangin N Bangin podcast, Gangrel revealed more from his recent conversation with Edge, saying that the WWE Hall of Famer
had planned the broodbath for two-and-a- half months, and had to fight hard for the segment to happen because of WWE’s
PG rating. It was also said that though Edge wanted red blood, WWE refused to let the segment
happen, and that’s why black blood fell on the former Universal Champion. Edge’s mind-games certainly paid off
as he not only defeated Rollins at Summerslam, but was able to fulfil a dream nearly three months in the making.
Alexa Bliss also won big at Summerslam, defeating Eva Marie as part of her consistent push as part of the RAW roster.
A former Women’s Champion and Tag Champion, Bliss is one of WWE’s mot decorated female Superstars in recent years, but she also
has plans outside of the ring. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Bliss discussed following The Rock, John Cena
and Batista into acting, saying: I would love to see what happens if I go for acting. Like, I’ve been working with an
acting coach for the last 10 months. Everything I’m doing right now, character base-wise, is a lot of acting and it’s a lot
of fun. But I would love to try that one day if the cards allow. Bliss added that for now, WWE is her home,
but after a year of being one of the company’s most unique and dramatic characters, a move to the silver-screen is a very-real possibility
for the former Women’s Champion
There’s few wrestlers who have done better in Hollywood than The Rock, who’s busy schedule making movies has made him
increasingly more difficult for WWE to book. It’s been previously reported that WWE is hoping to get the Brahma Bull for this
November’s Survivor Series, 25 years after he debuted at the same event, but this won’t lead to a match at WrestleMania 38 as expected
That’s according to Ringside News, who have learned that the Rock isn’t being considered for a role at next year’s Mania in Dallas, Texas
because he’s a “virtual lock” for WrestleMania 39, in Hollywood. WWE would much rather The Great One’s
star power be used in Hollywood, and though there’s no word on who he’ll face, the obvious choice is Roman Reigns.
WWE is putting a lot of faith in getting The Rock onboard, as it’s his speculated feud with Roman Reigns which has saved Jimmy
Uso for being punished for his most recent DUI, and although he may appear before WrestleMania 39, the Great One is a lock for
biggest show of 2023.
Back to the ring, and after a lengthy hiatus due to a life-threating heart inflammation, Keith Lee returned to TV last month, but has quickly
disappeared. Now, Lee is wrestling exclusively in dark matches, as WWE are trying to decide
what’s next for the former NXT Champion.
According to sources, Vince McMahon is considering Lee for a monster heel role on TV, after he recently won a 90-second squash
match before SmackDown as a heel. It’s also reported that Lee has been getting solid babyface reactions in these dark
matches, and that may play into the Chairman’s decision. For his entire WWE career, Lee has worked
well as a face, holding both the NXT and North American titles as a babyface before his main- roster call-up, but the Limitless One may soon
be embracing his darker side when he returns to TV
Now, last week, it was reported that Paige’s contract with WWE ends next year, and that she’s expected to join AEW when she’s able.
That’s because WWE have been refusing to let her compete once again, despite her neck reportedly being very close to 100%,
but now the former Superstar is taking matters into her own hands. On Twitter, Paige hinted at her future, saying
I’m not done yet,” with an emoji of an arm flexing, hinting at a possible in-ring return. Paige has always insisted that she’ll wrestle
again one day, especially after the miraculous returns from retirement of Edge and Daniel Bryan, but so far, WWE doesn’t want her
back in the ring. For what it’s worth, Paige said during a recent Twitch stream that she’s not leaving WWE
and loves the company, and that her return will be a surprise to the fans. Paige may love WWE, but there’s only so
much love she can have for a company that won’t let her wrestle, and if AEW, Impact or anywhere else is willing to take a chance on her,
Paige will have a very big decision to make when her deal eventually expires.
And we’re ending with Stephen Amell, who’s not just an actor but a known wrestling fan, even competing at Summerslam 2015 in tag-team
Teaming with Neville to defeat Stardust and Wade Barrett, Amell’s only other professional match saw him lost to Christopher Daniels at
All In, and now the Green Arrow is ready to get back in the ring. During a recent live-stream with CM Punk,
Amell joked about being roughly the same size as Britt Baker, saying that an intergender match would be believable.
This got a response from Baker, who said the match makes sense, and that the last time she saw Amell, he stole her title belt.
As for now, Amell is the star of Heels, where he plays Jack Spade, and given the success of the show, a possible Amell-Baker match
could happen in a future season, if Tony Khan gives the green light for it to happen.